I. To the Right Honourable, and My Singular Good Lord, My Lord of Wiltshire?
Ir may please your lordship to be advertised, that the king his grace, my lady your
i
wife, my lady. Anne your daughter, be in good health, whereof thanks be to God.
As concerning the king his cause, master Raynolde Poole hath written a book? much contrary to the king his purpose, with such wit, that it appeareth that he might be for his wisdom of the council to the king his grace; and of such eloquence, that if it were set forth and known to the common people, I suppose it were not possible to persuade them to the contrary. The principal intent whereof is, that the king his grace should be content to commit his great cause to the judgment of the pope: wherein meseemeth he lacketh much judgment. But he suadeth that with such goodly eloquence, both of words and sentence, that he were like to persuade many: but me he persuadeth in that point nothing at all. But in many other things he satisfieth me very well. The sum whereof I shall shortly rehearse.
First, he sheweth the cause wherefore he had never pleasure to intromit himself in this cause, and that was the trouble which was like to ensue to this realm thereof by diversity of titles; whereof what hurt might come, we have had example in our fathers’ days by the titles of Lancaster and York. And whereas God hath given many noble gifts unto the king his grace, as well of body and mind, as also of fortune; yet this exceedeth all other, that in him all titles do meet and come together, and this realm is restored to tranquillity and peace: so oweth he to provide, that this land fall not again to the foresaid misery and trouble; which may come as well by the people within this realm, (which think surely that they have an heir lawful already, with whom they all be well content, and would be sorry to have any other, and it would be hard to persuade them to take any other, leaving her,) as also by the emperor, which is a man of so great power, the queen being his aunt, the princess his niece, whom he so much doth and ever hath favoured.
? The Letters of Abp. Cranmer have been col- mains of Abp. Cranmer, Vol. I. p. L.
[lated with and corrected by the original MSS., as [^ The book which Pole some years afterwards]
[far as has been practicable, for this edition: where declared he had delivered to Henry VIII. «with]
[they have not been found, a note is made to that secretness.” Vid. Burnet’s Hist. of the Reformat.]
[effect. ] Vol. III. Pt. 11. Appendix. Book 111. No. δ].]
[[? Thomas Boleyn, father of queen Anne Bo- pp. 159—163. Ed. Oxon. 1829. Beccatelli, who]
[leyn, was created earl of Wiltshire, Dec. 8, 1529.] wrote the life of cardinal Pole, and other authors, [^ Dr Jenkyns considers, that this letter was having made no reference to this book, led Anthony]
[probably written in June, 1531, whilst Cranmer à Wood to doubt whether it had ever been written,]
[was in England, after his return from Rome, where, Vid. Athena Oxon. Vol. I. col. 293. Ed. Bliss.]
[as ambassador, he had presented his book on the Lond. 1813—20. Phillips (Life of Reginald Pole,]
[divorce to the pope, and previously to his departure p. 66—68. Ed. Oxon. 1764) says that Pole first]
[to Germany on his mission to the emperor. He declared his opinion on the divorce to Henry VIII.]
[was probably residing at this time with the Boleyn personally, and afterwards, to soften the king’s dis-]
[family, as had been the case before he accompanied pleasure, “sent his reasons in writing, with an as-]
[the earl to Italy. See Todd’s Life of Abp. Cran- surance, which he knew would be acceptable, that]
[mer, Vol I p 30, where some errors of Strype the purport of the letter had been communicated to]
[respecting this letter are corrected. Jenkyns’s Re- nobody.” ]]
And where he heard reasons for the king his party, that he was moved of God his law, which doth straitly forbid, and that with many great threats, that no man shall marry his brother his wife: and as for the people, that longeth not to their judgment, and yet it is to be thought that they will be content, when they shall know that the ancient doctors of the church, and the determinations of so many great universities be of the king his sentence: and as concerning the emperor, if he be so unrightful that he will maintain an unjust cause, yet God will never fail them that stand upon his party, and for any thing will not transgress his commandments: and beside that, we shall not lack the aid of the French king, which partly for the league which he hath made with us, and partly for the displeasure and old grudge which he beareth toward the emperor, would be glad to have occasion to be avenged: these reasons he bringeth for the king’s party against his own opinion.